The Common Descent Podcast

Check the fingers and toes of your favorite vertebrate animals and you’re likely to find claws or something similar at the ends. These digit-caps come in a variety of shapes – claws, nails, even hoove...

16 Huhti 20231h 54min

You’re probably familiar with frogs and salamanders, but there is a third group of modern amphibians, the strangest of them all: the worm-like caecilians. In this episode, we’ll explore the many bizar...

2 Huhti 20232h 12min

We spend a huge portion of our lives sleeping. For us and other animals, it’s clearly a very important behavior. And yet, despite how familiar and commonplace it is, there’s plenty we still don’t unde...

18 Maalis 20232h 23min

Once, it was a volcanic crater. Then, it was a lake, perhaps equal parts lush and deadly. Much later, it was a mining site. And finally, today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most f...

5 Maalis 20231h 58min

Giraffes are so famous and familiar to most of us that it can be easy to forget how utterly strange they are. This episode, we explore modern giraffes, their living cousins (okapis!), and their ancien...

19 Helmi 20232h 10min

Happy Darwin Day! You’ve seen his artwork. And if you somehow haven’t, you’ve seen lots of art inspired by his artwork. Charles R. Knight might be the most influential paleoartist of all time, inspiri...

5 Helmi 20231h 53min

Glowing organisms might seem like something out of science fiction, but not only do they exist here on Earth, they are incredibly common. Some species glow when exposed to certain kinds of light, and ...

22 Tammi 20232h 17min

The Paleozoic Era was home to many strange and fascinating extinct groups, and among the most eye-catching of these were the eurypterids. Colloquially called “sea scorpions,” these carnivorous aquatic...

8 Tammi 20231h 57min